


She Hates To Say Goodbye (So She Only Says Goodnight)

by orphan_account



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Divergence, F/F, Falling In Love, Love, Nicole Haught is a Good Girlfriend, Song Lyrics, Wayhaught - Freeform, i miss our babies, in my hc nicole always has anxiety or anxious tendencies, late Season 1, pre-relationship wayhaught makes me emo, so that's where those thoughts are aimed from, timeline is a bit blurry so bear with me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-09 04:28:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17994851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Waverly has never been fond of goodbyes; she prefers to say goodnight instead. Nicole finds herself more in love because of it.





	She Hates To Say Goodbye (So She Only Says Goodnight)

**Author's Note:**

> [post 1x9 pre 1x12]  
> the idea of this alone had me crying because: a. it's been a tough week, b. i miss my babies, c. this song makes me emo, and d. i'm out here being hopelessly single. [the song is Sink by Noah Kahan (you're welcome in advance)] enjoy!

**_oh, she hates to say goodbye;_ **

**_so she only says goodnight_ **

When Waverly showed up on Nicole Haught's doorstep in the early afternoon, she hadn't anticipated how resistant she'd be to the idea of leaving when the time came. It's not like anything is happening. They're simply curled up on the comfy, bohemian coffee shop-looking couch, pretending to watch the TV as a means to avoid the awkwardness of a pending conversation. One that, while not unwelcome, would simply be a pin to their bubble of a moment. She doesn’t think they need to put a label on it just yet. Because Nicole's arms are wrapped around her waist and her breath is in Waverly's ear and Waverly can _hear_ the heartbeat drumming through Nicole's chest; _how could I ever need anything more_? Waverly doesn't think she could move if she wanted to.

Then she looks at her phone and the numbers displayed across the too-bright screen provide a wakeup call much too rapidly for her liking. It's getting dark and she imagines Wynonna will be in the living room waiting for her, cradling a bottle of whiskey like it's the best damn thing on earth. Though Waverly supposes that to Wynonna, a fractured, guilt-ridden, demon-hunting woman, it probably is.

Waverly peeks upward, tracing the angles and features of the face above her. Nicole's gaze is tracking something along the screen, the blue light from the television casting a hue over her hazelnut eyes. The usual professional braid is long gone, leaving long, red waves to frame a sharp jawline and high cheekbones. The way Nicole's mouth is quirked into an almost quizzical position showcases the dimples on her cheeks, almost as noticeably as when she smiles. Waverly has to put a hand on her chest to feel the rise and fall; she wouldn't remember to breathe otherwise.

"You okay, Wave?" Nicole cocks her head to the side, looking too much like a puppy for Waverly to form a coherent thought, let alone a response. She moves her hand over Waverly's— the one resting over her heart— and gives a concerned look.  "You've been doin' that for the last few minutes."

Waverly thinks of everything that's going to go down soon, and how much she wants to keep Nicole out of it. It's enough to make her talk. "I just. . . I should probably get going. You know, there's this thing tomorrow and I don't know what Wynonna has planned beforehand and. . ." She trails off; the way Nicole's eyes drop almost imperceptibly before returning to hers sends a surge of a feeling she's too afraid to find a label for straight to her chest.

Nicole, ever the selfless one, is quick to cover up any traversing emotions. As much as Nicole would like to curl her arms tighter around Waverly, press her face into the warmth of her neck and never leave, she doesn't want to overstep. Everything is still premature and new and so, so fragile.

 _Baby steps,_ she reminds herself, because Nicole is afraid if she leaps, the ground will turn to glass and shatter beneath her.

In a not entirely surprising notion, Waverly notices the slight break in her facade, and is quick to ask, "What's the matter?" Nicole curses herself; she's been masquerading her entire life. So why, for the life of her, can't she craft a semblance thick enough to stop Waverly from seeing right through her?

"Nothin', it's not a big deal." she tries her best to downplay, but with her voice betraying her it's very hard for Nicole to believe that it's working. "I guess I just don't want you to leave." Sheer panic shoots through Nicole when Waverly's face shifts, worried she's said too much. She realizes, after a moment, Waverly is smiling.

"Ugh," Waverly groans, throwing a hand up. "Now I just wanna stay. Well, I mean, I always wanted to stay, but now I just want to even more be—" Nicole ends Waverly's rambling—adorable, albeit persistent— with a kiss, and the latter freezes for a moment. The redhead jerks away, head filled with thoughts of _I fucked everything up_ and _why am I such an idiot?_

Because Nicole has always prided herself on being calm and calculated. But Waverly flips the world on its fucking axis and makes any kind of rationality leave her brain. "Shit, Waverly, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have done that and ah, fuck, I'm so—"

"Don't you _dare_ finish that sentence."Waverly sees a battle—only one of many in Nicole's internal war— in her eyes and is quick to snuff any doubt away. Her tone is commanding, much more assertive than she feels. It softens, however, upon watching Nicole flinch. "You didn't do anything wrong, Nic."

"Yeah, but I should've asked and—"

"Did I ask when I practically tackled you onto Nedley's couch?" Waverly's eyebrows lift in a challenging manor and Nicole nearly forgets the point she was trying to make.

"Well, no, but—"

"And do you regret that?" Waverly's really not sure where this confidence is coming from, but Nicole seems to need it, so she can't complain.

"Never," Nicole replies, unflinching. It sends that unknown feeling through Waverly again.

"Okay then." Waverly grins, lifting herself up to kiss Nicole. She feels the taller woman relax against her. They sit up, leading to an awkward jumble of limbs when they refuse to part. They pull away, and maybe it was merely a few seconds, but it could've been days for all Nicole knows, because with Waverly's lips on her own she can't really comprehend the concept of time, relative or not.

"I don't like saying goodbye," Waverly mutters, resting her forehead against Nicole's. She'd usually feel self-conscious about the unadulterated statement, but there's a look in Nicole's eyes that reads a lot like the nameless thing gnawing through Waverly's ribcage. It intensifies further when Nicole breathes,

"Then don't."

 

After some arguing from both parties over who would sleep on the couch, an apprehensive overture hangs in the air. Nicole scratches the back of her neck, hesitatingly stringing together a thought. "Uh, you know, if you wanted to. . . my bed is a queen. Plenty of room." Warm brown eyes travel anywhere but Waverly's, and the brunette gets Nicole's attention with a hand brushing hers.

"I-I, um, that. . . that would be nice.” Waverly's quick to add on, "As long as you're okay with it,"  Their relationship is still grey, and it's all still new to Waverly; every notion seems like a leap of faith. Nicole, gaining a bit of composure, takes the lead. "Of course it is, Waves, let me get you something to sleep in, yeah? Go sit down on the bed. Oh, and you can text Wynonna, I know she'll probably be worried 'bout you." Waverly nods, watching Nicole move over to her dresser and start sifting through her drawers. Waverly freezes when Nicole hands her a pair of old sweatpants and an academy t-shirt. _Am I supposed to change in here or go to the bathroom?_ She is ready to panic over the whole thing when Nicole turns her back towards Waverly and starts looking for her own sleepwear. _How chivalrous._

Waverly doesn't have as much decency while she dresses, because she catches a glimpse of Nicole's bare back and can't look away. She notices an array of scars, winding over broad expanses of hard muscle before Nicole covers it with fabric. The redhead starts to turn and Waverly's head snaps away so fast it may have caused whiplash. A heavy sigh escapes the smaller woman a few moments later.

Nicole notices, perhaps for the first time, how small Waverly looks, sagging under the weight of all the unknown worlds on her shoulders. And maybe Atlas had it rough, but Nicole doesn’t think it could be worse than the heaviness she sees on Waverly’s heart.

The curious detective in her wants to ask, wants to _know._ But she doesn't, because she has hope that Waverly will tell her when she's ready. Instead, she reaches for the brunette's hand and leads her to the bed, pulling back the covers and climbing in beside her. They regard each other for a few moments, inches between them feeling like miles. Then Nicole's arms open up and Waverly _sinks_ into her. There's no room for _'what if'_ s or attempts at labels; the space between them is far too sparse. Nicole runs her hands along Waverly's back and waits for her breathing to even out.

Waverly doesn't let herself fall asleep just yet. "I like goodnight more."

"Oh, yeah? Why's that?" Nicole gives her an invitation to continue.

"Because it means you'll be here when I wake up. I mean, you will, right?"

"No place I'd rather be." Nicole grins into the darkness. "Goodnight, Waverly."

"Goodnight, Nicole." Waverly responds, drowsiness creeping into her voice.

Not for the first time, Nicole has receding moments of _is this love?_ Because yes, she's slept with girls before. But there's something infinitely more intimate about _sleeping with_ Waverly. she presses her face further into Waverly's hair to prevent starting a war with the thoughts colliding in her head.

Glass or not, Nicole hits the ground hard, and while it's only ever caused scraped knees and bloodied hands, she still finds herself falling faster.

 

**Author's Note:**

> just a short lil one shot about our babes. i hope you enjoyed because i very much liked writing this. thank you for reading. find me on tumblr @angelhaught. -unedited(like all of my fics), so i apologize for any errors- i own nothing but my love for them.


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